The Best Work You May Never See: Katie Dellamaggiore Directs "Sama's Lunchbox" For Whirlpool Canada, Zulu Alpha Kilo

Immigrating to Canada in 2014 when she was six years old, Sama Al-Salihi initially found lunchtime daunting. While she preferred eating traditional foods from her mother’s native home Syria, she also noticed how different it looked from her classmates’ meals.

As part of its "Every Day, Care" campaign, Whirlpool Canada followed Sama as she shared her favorite Syrian foods like Uzee, Fatayer, and Grape Leaves with her classmates for the first time. To show their appreciation, the kids worked with Toronto based illustrator/cartoonist Wes Tyrell to create a custom one-of-a-kind lunchbox featuring Sama as a superhero.

Sama’s story speaks to findings from a recent Whirlpool Canada survey. The results found that 70 per cent of Canadians agree giving children an opportunity to try dishes from different cultures is a good way to encourage mutual understanding and respect.

This centerpiece film was directed by documentarian Katie Dellamaggiore via production house zulubot for Toronto agency Zulu Alpha Kilo.

“At Whirlpool, we believe it’s the little things that make the world of difference,” said Michelle Domet of Whirlpool Canada. “School lunches are something we do day-in and day-out and Sama’s experience shows how it’s not just nutrients and fuel for the day that lunch provides, but emotional comfort as well. It’s amazing to see how open children can be and how food can bring people together.”